Need Help With 1826 George IV Shilling

The halfcrown is in F condition and the 2 shilling coins Fair.
All are 92.5% silver but generally not in a condition to be interesting to a collector (apart from the ebay walla's)
Wouldn't one half decent one be preferred?

Now I have my eyes set on a crown :D Before I buy, I need your opinion.

I found this on ebay...

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Considering it's condition, is it worth 40 pounds (shipping included).

Thank you.

Personally I'd say nearer VG than VF! Large areas of the face are worn flat and the edge of the hair and the earring are ppoorly defined. The reverse is better. In the UK you see quite a few Veiled Head crowns in this sort of condition. But it looks like good honest wear and hasn't been messed around with. Do you know which edge it has? - there are two varieties as the Latin edge inscription shows the regnal year - LX or LXI.

Couldn't help myself. :D

If you were to buy one in this condition, what's the top mark you'd offer ? :)

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Me? Not a lot. To my eyes it has been irreparably cleaned. Fortunately(!) dipped rather than abrasively, but it will take a lot of time to retone nicely.

Since I don't collect such things, worth (again to me) melt. Though I could see someone pay .. £60?

See here for comparisons: http://www.londoncoins.co.uk/?page=...searchtype=1 You'll see the 'shinier' examples go for less money.

It would only be worth BV due to cleaning.(about £11 to £12)
Uncleaned approx £50 to £70.

Not that it's any comfort to you, but we've all been there! As inexperienced collectors we get carried away by something that looks better or different from what we've seen before and ... some time later realise we could have spent a lot less!

As for no more expensive coins ... well, I do know someone who thrives on searching through junk bins. But really, most collectors eventually learn that the old adage of buying the best coin you can afford is a sensible one. And quality, well, it comes at a price, I'm afraid.

What I'd suggest is that rather than rush into too many purchases of coins, perhaps buy a book?

Teaching yourself how to grade means you no longer have to rely on seller's descriptions.

Derek Allen's http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/09...=0948964839= The Standard Guide to Grading British Coins (1797 to 1970) ] is available on Amazon and will show you what the difference between a coin in Fine and Very Fine looks like! I only suggest this because most guides show you a coin in EF or whatever. This book shows you each denomination. Handy because half-crowns, being bigger than say, shillings, wear differently to them. Some years the design is particularly strong, others very shallow making a good coin look worn... you get the idea I hope!

Another good buy would probably be a general coin guide. While Spink's Coins of England is most commonly used, you might like "Collectors Coins GB" Covering pre-decimal coins from 1797 it's also available as a downloadable ebook. http://www.predecimal.com/collector...k-p-747.html so saving you some postage!

Basically though, it doesn't matter which book you choose, or if you just post photos here for opinions (ideally before you buy!) The aim is just to learn a bit more so when that horrible Peter or I pop up and say, "Oh, that's been cleaned" it doesn't come as a nasty surprise to you!

As I say, we've all had to learn 'the hard way'. But we didn't have places like this to come and ask questions. CCF is a great resource, so do feel free to make use of it!

>>Couldn't help myself. :D

>>If you were to buy one in this condition, what's the top mark you'd offer ? :)

Could I ask what the exact weight of this piece (the 1893 crown) is?